Canton school reopening plan puts health & safety first
By Canton CitizenDear Editor:
I write to give my full support to the School Committee, the superintendent, other school administrators, and the Canton Teachers Association for their school reopening plan.
I am certain that they all knew ahead of time that no matter what decisions were made they would be criticized. They are in a no-win situation. Still, after much deliberation and considerable time spent considering all their options, I’d like to believe that their ultimate decision to begin the school year remotely had the health and safety of the students, staff, bus drivers, and all their families uppermost in their minds.
This virus has caused considerable stress and heartache for all of us. The longer it continues to infiltrate our families, the longer we will remain hostage to its ramifications. Colleges across the country are seeing positive cases of COVID on the rise in alarming numbers. The college students then go home or otherwise spread the virus unwittingly to friends and family. Colleges, therefore, are deciding to continue remotely teaching or reconsidering in-person coursework in favor of remote learning.
I commend our school leaders for helping us all to take a collective breath before resuming in-person classes. A wait-and-see attitude for two weeks along with a more prepared and calculated service delivery model for our students in comparison to the sudden, unexpected and lengthy closure this past spring seems like a safe alternative to any possible increase in cases of the virus with perhaps calamitous effects.
We will get through this. In-person learning is the best, most effective way for all of us to learn. If teachers get sick, they can’t teach. If students get sick, they can’t learn and their families can get sick and unknowingly spread the virus at work. When the numbers at our colleges and throughout the country show evidence that the virus has lost its grip on us in a consistent, discernible way, we can all breathe a sigh of relief. Until then, it seems safest to follow the guidelines regarding social distancing and perhaps collaborate with friends and family to help each other deal with childcare and school-related needs.
Paul Phalan
Short URL: https://www.thecantoncitizen.com/?p=69923
Posted by Canton Citizen
on Sep 18 2020. Filed under From One Citizen to Another, Opinion.
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